Insulating screen or curtain



F. C. FULLER.

INSULATING SCREEN 0R CURTAIN'.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1921.

Reissued Jah. 24, 1922. 15,273.

INVENT [M UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

FREDERICK C. FULLER, F TOLEDO, OIHIO.

INSULATING SCREEN OR CURTAIN` Speciieaton of Reissiied Letters Patent.

Reissued J an. 24, 1922.

Original No. 1,361,977, dated December 14, 1920, Serial No. 380,115, led May 10, 1920. Application for reissue led September 19, 1921.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, F REDERIGK C. FULLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have made an Invention Appertaining to an Insulating Screen or iCurtain; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to Which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form aY part of this specification.

This invention relates to closure means for openings of ovens, furnaces, or the like, and has for its primary object the provision 4 of a screen or curtain for use in connection with the inlet and outlet openings of baking ovens, particularly those of the traveling` type, to effectually separate orl insulate the interior from the exterior ofthe oven to retain steam, moisture and hot gases therein and at the same time automatically adjust itself to the passage of articles through the openings without uncovering the openings and without injury to soft articles passing therethrough.

In the economical and eliicient .baking of bread, it is necessary for the bread, immediately `upon entering the oven, to be moistened with vsteam with which the oven is filled, and it is therefore highly important to retain this steam in the oven. If steam is not maintained in the oven the loaves of bread, or other articles to .be baked, as soon as they enter the oven will be crusted or surface stiffen'ed to such an extent by the dry oven heat as to prevent even expansion, resulting in an uneven, cracked and checked loaf. On the other hand, if the loaves enterI an oven that is filledA with steam or has a high humidity, the crust of the bread will remain softl and flexible allowing the bread to rise properly and uniformly, and the loaf will contain more moisture after it is baked, which is a very desirable feature. Numerous endeavors have been made to provide some means for preventing the escape of steam from the oven inlet and outlet openings, and particularly the former, as it is highly iinportant to have a. high degree of humidity in the oven at the inlet opening so that the loaves will be brought into contact with such Serial No. 501,813.

humidity immediately upon entering the oven, but these endeavors, so far as I ani aware, have failed due to the shape and size of the loaves.

T he invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiments and use 1n numerous connections, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the outlet end of a traveling baking oven, with a portion broken away, with the baked goods emerging from the oven outlet opening, and wlth the closure means embodying the inven* tion associated with the opening, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the closure member removed from the opening.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a baking oven of the traveling type, 2 a travcling conveyer of any suitable form therein, 3 an opening of the oven through which bread loaves, or the like, pass into or from the oven,.such opening being illustrated in the drawing as the outlet opening, and 4 pans containing the baked goods.

The screen or curtain employed to close the opening 3 and embodying the invention comprises a multiplicity of pliant members 5 preferably of vstring-like form suspended f-- the soft loaves, and in order to facilitate anV insertion or removal of the screen from the opening the members 5 are preferably suspended from a plate 6 which is secured in any suitable manner in the oop of the opening. The plate 6 may be perforated to permit the suspending of the members 5 therethrough or the members may be secured and suspended from the plate in any other suitable manner.

The screen or curtain in width is coextensive with the width of the-opening 3 and may be of a length to extend through the opening and back into the oven or associated chamber any desired distance.

It is evident that when nothing is passingl through the opening 3 the cords 5 compris ing the curtain will hang tothe bottom of the opening and serve to eii'ectually'close the same and that when articles are passing through the opening .the curtain members will' be -Inovedou't of obstructing relation thereto and will accommodate themselves to the shape of the article so as to cooperate with the articles to close the opening and zprevent thefescape ci heat,-steam or other gases therethrough.

1It will beunderstoodV that the invention' may be changed and modified innumerous" respects without departing' from'the spirit of the claims'and that it may loe-used in; connection with'any opening which it-'is desired to close and through which'open-ings'fat thesame time-it may be desired `to pass articles.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I'claim as new, ,and desi-re to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

l. A curtain or screen for an opening of ovens, furnaces, or the like, Acomprisin'ga plurality of pliant suspended 'members adapted to cooperate to closethe4 opening and capable of withstanding a high heat and of displacement by articles passing through the opening without injury tothe articles, the members filling an area which inV two dlmensions transversely thereofris* greater than Vthe thickness of a member, A 2@ The combination with means forming an oven or chamberhaving an opening therein for the passage'of articles, of a clo sure for the opening vincluding`strands-otf iiexible materialdisposed within the opening, the-closure being of suflicient length, depth and width towinsulate4 the interior of the o venor 'chamber from the exterior, the

" strands 'being Icapable of displacement. by

articlespassing through the openinga 3; The combination 'with al baking oven having 'anfopeni'ng therein through which articles may -pass into 'orfromthe ovens, of a multiplicity of pliant members suspended within the opening and cooperating to closeV the 'opening against the passage of gases therethrough and'to permit' -a-'pas'sage of articlesthroughthe opening without uncovering the and virithout:in-lurj7 the articles..

'The combination with the inlet or out- -letof bakingloven of the traveling type,

ofa multiplicity of pliant members suspended within the opening and cooperating to close the opening against the passage oitI gasestherethrough-and to. 1p er1ni t the; passage. of: soft. articles through the opening without uncovering the opening and without injury to the articles, the members filling an area'which is coextensive with'the lengthwise through the openings e. The combination with the inlet or outwidth of the opening 4'and extends a distance.;-

type, of. a multiplicity-oi cordlike members of a'materi'al, such asi asbestossuspended1 within? the opening -fromtheto'p thereof. and cooperating. to eifectually close'the. 'opening4 against the.,.passage ofgases .the-reV through andto permit the passage of'soft' articles through, Vthe opening. .without un,-

the articles.,` .l .Y

covering the opening and without injurytoV 6. [The comhinationwith means formingl an oven-or 4chamber andhaving an opening therein Ttor the .passage of articles, 'of a rigid member mounted within thel vupper portion of .the opening, 4and-a multiplicity of cord like members suspended tromthe rigid-inember and cooperating .to close the opening against thepassage ,of gases therethrough and to permit the passage of 4articles ltherethrough. 1., .7; lThe combination with a heating chamberhavingan opening therein-through which articles may pass into or from the chamber, ofV aplurality of rows Voi" pliant members suspended within'the openingfrom the top thereof and extending across-the same,-t.he rows .of pliant lmembers cooperating 4to Vclose the opening? against .the passage of gases therethrough -andto permit the.. passage of articles through the opening without uns covering the same A In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification;

FREDERICK c. FULLER-Q li6! let opening of a bakingroven of ,theltravelingi 

